1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to beverage urns and, more particularly, to beverage urns with handles for manual lifting and pouring of beverage from an open top of the urn.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Beverage urns, carafes, or decanters, of the type that have a thin-walled hollow containment body with an open top at the end of a relatively narrower neck connecting the open top to the containment body are well known. Typically, they are made of borosilicate glass or the like and are capable of holding approximately twelve cups of beverage. Such earns are often used with so-called “one pot brewers” in which coffee or other hot beverage is brewed directly into the urn when in a brew position. The urn generally rests on an electrical warmer plate to maintain the temperature of the beverage within the containment body. The urn may have a spout integrally formed in the neck. A handle assembly is mechanically attached to the neck by means of a band, or attachment ring, surrounding the neck and a handle attached to and extending vertically downwardly from the ring alongside the containment body. If there is no spout integrally formed in the neck, then the handle assembly also includes a spout that is formed in the ring and located oppositely of the handle. When it is desired to serve the beverage the urn is lifted by the handle and tilted to pour beverage from the spout into an individual serving cup.
Examples of such known beverage urns are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,224,634 issued Jul. 6, 1993 to Graham; 2,982,451 issued May 2, 1961 to Eisendrath; 3,154,227 issued Oct. 27, 1964 to Anderson et al.; 3,330,449 issued Jul. 11, 1967 to Bloomfield et al.; 3,400,865 issued Sep. 10, 1968 to Hester; 3,491,924 issued Jan. 27, 1970; 3,615,045 issued Oct. 26, 1971 to Fiorini; 3,632,025 issued Jan. 4, 1972 to Bloomfield et al.; 3,800,9988 issued Jun. 17, 1968 issued to Karlen et al. and 4,090,648 issued Apr. 9, 1976 to Roberts, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
In all of these urns, the attachment ring directly contacts and engages the outer side of the neck for direct attachment to the neck. The neck is provided with horizontal ribs with which associated connectors of the attachment ring mate in interlocking relationship to prevent vertical removal of the ring from the neck. Also, generally, there is a bead formed at the top edge of the neck that is slightly wider than the neck, and this bead is directly contacted and engaged by mating connectors associated with the attachment ring, generally on the inside of the bead to provide a blocking bearing surface to further assist in blocking vertical removal of the ring from the neck.
The inventor has noted that it is not uncommon for the neck of such urns to break or crack adjacent the juncture of the attachment band with the neck. It is believed that such breakage is due to stress and strain on the neck and bead due to being tightly engaged by the attachment band while being required to support the entire weight of the urn and the beverage while being tilted.